VELS The Arts

VELS (3 STRANDS) Physical, Personal and Social Learning Discipline-based Learning Interdisciplinary Learning

Discipline based Learning 6 Domains The ArtsEnglishHumanitiesLOTEMathematicsScience

The Arts domain (2 Dimensions) Creating and Making Exploring and Responding

Creating and Making The Creating and making dimension focuses on ideas, skills, techniques, processes, performances and presentations. It includes engagement in concepts that emerge from a range of starting points and stimuli. Students explore experiences, ideas, feelings and understandings through making, interpreting, performing, creating and presenting. Creating and making arts works involves imagination and experimentation; planning; the application of arts elements, principles and/or conventions; skills, techniques and processes; media, materials, equipment and technologies; reflection; and refinement. Individually and collaboratively, students explore their own works and works by other artists working in different historic and cultural contexts.arts elements, principles and/or conventionsskills, techniques and processesmedia, materials, equipment and technologies

Exploring and Responding The Exploring and responding dimension focuses on context, interpreting and responding, criticism and aesthetics. It involves students analysing and developing understanding about their own and other people’s work and expressing personal and informed judgments of arts works. Involvement in evaluating meaning, ideas and/or content in finished products is integral to engagement in the Arts. Exploration of, and response to, expressive qualities of arts works is informed by critical analysis of the use of elements, content and techniques and discussion about the nature, content, and formal, aesthetic and/or kinaesthetic qualities of arts works. Exploring the qualities of arts works involves use of arts language and also draws on research into the purposes and functions for which the works are created and audiences to whom they are presented. This involves students developing an understanding of social, cultural, political, economic and historic contexts and constructs, and developing a consideration of ways that arts works reflect, construct, reinforce and challenge personal, societal and cultural values and beliefs.arts language

Level 1 Creating and Making At Level 1, students make and share performing and visual arts works that communicate observations, personal ideas, feelings and experiences. They explore and, with guidance, use a variety of arts elements (on their own or in combination), skills, techniques and processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies in a range of arts forms. They talk about aspects of their own arts works, and arts works and events in their community. Exploring and Responding Standards do not apply for this dimension at this level. See the learning focus at

Level 2 Creating and Making At Level 2, students create and present performing and visual arts works that show emerging arts knowledge and an ability to plan arts works that communicate ideas, concepts, observations feelings and/or experiences. They demonstrate an emerging ability to select, arrange and make choices about expressive ways of using arts elements, principles and/or conventions. They use skills, techniques, processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies in a range of arts forms. They identify, describe and discuss characteristics of their own and others’ arts works. Exploring and Responding Standards do not apply for this dimension at this level. See the learning focus at

Level 3 Creating and Making At Level 3, students create and present works in a range of arts forms that communicate experiences, ideas, concepts, observations and feelings. They select and combine a range of arts elements, principles and/or conventions, and use a range of skills, techniques and processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies. They show evidence of arts knowledge when planning arts works for different purposes and audiences and identify techniques and features of other people’s works that inform their own arts making. They refine their work in response to feedback and self-evaluation. Exploring and Responding At Level 3, students comment on the exploration, development and presentation of their arts works, including the use of specific arts elements, principles and/or conventions, skills, techniques and processes. They identify and describe key features of arts works from their own and other cultures, and use arts language to describe and discuss the communication of ideas, feelings and purpose in their own and other people’s arts works.

Level 4 Creating and Making At Level 4, students independently and collaboratively experiment with and apply a range of skills, techniques and processes using a range of media, materials, equipment and technologies to plan, develop, refine, make and present arts works. They investigate a range of sources to generate ideas and manipulate arts elements, principles and/or conventions in a range of arts disciplines and forms as they explore the potential of ideas. In their arts works, they communicate ideas and understandings about themselves and others, incorporating influences from their own and other cultures and times. They evaluate the effectiveness of their arts works and make changes to realise intended aims. They consider purpose and suitability when they plan and prepare arts works for presentation to a variety of audiences. Exploring and Responding At Level 4, students discuss traditional and contemporary arts works using appropriate arts language to describe the content, structure and expressive qualities of their own and other people’s works from a range of arts disciplines and forms. They interpret and compare key features of arts works made in a range of times, places and cultures. They identify and describe influences on their own works and discuss the purposes for which arts works are created in different historical and cultural contexts.

Progression Points For specific Arts progression points, assessment examples and reporting advice, click on the link below. ex.html